Monday, December 19, 2011

I've never admitted painterly defeat before, but that peeled off wallpaper and the height of the ceilings in the hallway were more than I could kid myself that I'd ever manage to do. Even Craig didn't believe me, and he knows I'm just enough of an idiot to bribe some friends and rig a crazy ladder contraption to save the few thousand bucks. In our old house, I did something like that, and although I didn't manage to kill myself, I never did paint the top 2 feet of the walls. We had to do it just before selling the place.

But this time, I kinda looked at it, and I thought about it, and then I caved. And now I'm a little hooked on the idea that I don't have to do it. I may have also thrown a few extra rooms onto the job. Maybe.

Three very nice men painted three floors of stairs and trim and risers and pumpkin walls. And me? I baked a thousand Hanukkah cookies, wrote up a new pattern, went to 3 holiday parties (the getting dressed with 4 Albanian men in the house, equally divided on all 3 floors, is tricky, but can be done if you have a brightly lit basement). I also knit, and ran, and went out to see live music with friends. And I watched Robot Chicken Star Wars, which if you haven't seen, you should. It's really funny.

I could get used to this, I tell you.

In fact, I did. I tossed a few more rooms onto the job. Once you're spending 4 digits, what's a little more? Look at my pretty green office. And my $1 painting of a basket of apples, and all my yarn, finally displayed in my Craigslist barrister bookcase. Thanks to this thing, I finally know what I've got in stash and don't have to dig in my big, dark trunk anymore, wondering if there is or is not a bag of DK merino at the bottom.

The yarn didn't ALL fit in the bookcase, so the stuff I'm working with is in these cubbies. Also easy to see.

With a big window and the sliding door, this room is a little too bright to get a good photo of, but you get the idea. It's green and it contains yarn and books. I plan on spending a lot of time in it.

And, so exciting, some yarn has arrived for spring knitting! More on that later...

For now, more cookies need to be made and I am playing with a Hanukkah Cocktail.

I'll post it once I figure it out. No rush, I do have 8 days of fun in which to have it.

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comments:

Hi Thea--Your home looks beautiful and the painting looks--well, very professional. I am happy you caved and had someone do it; I have the same dilemma in my new home in Maine. The front hall is high and scary with lots of surface to be painted. I am going to get pros to do this part of the painting and am planning an add on room--the master bedroom. It's dark grey and will probably take 10 coats of primer so it's going on the pro's list!Everything looks so nice! Congrats!

Very mice. I sprang for professional painters last winter. In four days, they took care of the issues we'd been procrastinating over and debating for years. The best money I've spent on the house in oh, forever. Good decision, Thea!

:) love the colors. Had a house in hawaii with cathedral ceilings that i remember putting the ladder on top of the offee table then climbing on to the top step (they say do not stand on) as well as having the 20 foot extension pole for the roller brush...and then holding my breath! Did it, but would have so rather hired someone to do it.

I love the pumpkin walls - I'm not sure I'd be brave enough to use it, but it looks great, especially with all the white trim.

I painted practically my entire house in Texas (some rooms twice), except my living room/dining room, with the pseudo-cathedral ceiling. I hired someone to do that. And luckily, he was my sister's boyfriend's father, so I got a deal! ;-)

I have not yet paid for painters, but I have done all of the downstairs rooms, the hallway and some of the upstairs rooms. If we decide we desperately don't like the colors in a few years (like 10), then I think we will pay to have a professional paint them then.